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Tuesday, 11 March 2008

Here's another bag I created from the same pattern as the wax-print version I made for Umi from the last post:

I drafted this pattern so long ago that I can no longer remember what influenced it's shape. Although I do recall that alot of trial and experimentation went into developing the correct amount of fullness into the box-pleats and the overall proportion of this style, which is very unlike me as I'm usually pretty lazy when it comes to prefecting a pattern and impatient to see it made into the final fabric. I have seen alot of similar shaped bags to this in recent years, both in the shops and those created by other independent designers and home-creators, for example this version which comes from the Wiksten label:

Most of these similar bag shapes seem to be called 'wasp' bags or something, presumably because the shape is similar to a wasp's arse. Personally I have always called my version the 'dolly bag'. This name was more relevant to the first incarnations I used to make which were much smaller, and subsequently, cuter.

This particular blue vintage fabric version was probably the first homemade gift I gave Silvia and I remember being a bit nervous about giving it to her as I wasn't sure at that time how she would react to it (false alarm: she loved it). It's a tricky thing: giving things you have made yourself.

Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with my creations, usually bags or garments, that I use myself. I love the feeling of pride that I have made something that is performing it's task (i.e., holding my stuff, or stopping me being naked) as well(ish) as something shop bought and professionally manufactured. But I also have a bit of distrust in my own creations as well, the source of which is hard to explain. But I do know that other creative people suffer from this lack of confidence and are often over-critical of their creations. Maybe it's because I am aware of my own limitations in terms of technical ability, but I am hyper-aware of any flaws or potential faults that are probably invisible to anyone else. My aim is always to produce something as close to how it would be manufactured professionally as possible. As close as possible without doing hardly any research or re-working something that could be improved. I guess I'm the world's laziest perfectionist, and subsequently my own worst enemy!